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The Five Major Players In The Civil Transport Aircraft Industry

Who are the major players in the civil transport aircraft industry?

There are currently five major manufacturers of civil transport aircraft: Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Tupoloev, and Bombardier. Each of these manufacturers boasts of a special feature that is unique to their aircraft. Wide-body and narrow-body jet aircraft are characteristic of Airbus, Tupolev and Boeing-manufactured jet airliners. On the other hand, regional airlines are the concentration of Bombardier and Embraer.

Boeing

This is the largest manufacturer of commercial and military aircraft combined. Boeing is considered one big player in the aerospace industry, as it designs and manufactures electronic and defense systems, satellites, rotorcraft,missiles, advanced information and communication systems, and launch vehicles. Boeing’s headquarters is located in Chicago, USA.

Airbus

Another major industry player is Airbus, responsible for about half or more of the orders for aircraft with more than 100 seats. Airbus has 12 sites in Europe spread over Germany, UK, Spain and France; 3 subsidiaries in the US, China and Japan. The Airbus headquarters is located in Toulouse, France.

Embraer

This aircraft manufacturer has become part of the same league as the other big manufacturers in the aircraft industry. It has its focus on specific market segments (regional) with high growth potential in defense, executive and commercial aviation. Embraer’s headquarters is located in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil.

Tupolev

This aerospace and defence company has its headquarters in Moscow, Russia, making it a Russian company. Tupolev develops, manufactures and overhauls aerospace products in both the civil and military aircraft and weapons systems. In their manufacturing pipeline are missile and naval aviation technologies.

Bombardier

Bombardier Aerospace is one of the two businesses under the global transportation company, Bombardier. It is the third largest manufacturer of civil aircraft. It is considered a leader in the design and manufacture of aviation products and services for the regional, amphibious and business aircraft markets. Bombardier’s headquarters is located in Montreal, Canada.

Manufacturing Partners

In order for these manufacturers to make an aircraft, they should have manufacturing partners that will provide them with a number of different and unique aviation parts including but not limited to aircraft engines and engine parts, propeller, rotor, electric and hydraulic control, avionics systems, fuselage, hardware products such as allfast rivets and other fasteners. These manufacturers have a large network of specialized partssuppliers from different parts of the world that would support the requirements of each manufacturer.

Aircraft Parts Industry

The demand for commercial, private and military airplanes drive the aircraft parts industry. The aircraft manufacturer’s profitability will depend on efficient operations and securing of long-term contracts. Small-scale companies compete by specializing in low-volume, high-end and hard-to-find aviation parts while large companies have a better position in production and purchasing.

In many cases, the aircraft manufacturing companies only provide the initial design and final assembly in their own plants. Much of the work is being subcontracted to other companies.